A Christmas storytime in Diamond City
by WarioMan3K
Summary: One clear, starry Christmas Eve, a close friend of 9-Volt's has a story to share with all that she holds dear to her heart...one that may be familiar to some, others new.


I've been wanting to write something like this for the holiday season ever since I got Collection of Mana on the Switch. It may not seem much, but I'd like to dedicate it to all my good online friends I've ever known throughout the Internet, let alone DeviantART.

**DISCLAIMER: WarioWare, Mario, and Kid Icarus are properties of Nintendo. Contra and Bomberman belong to Konami (with the latter having formerly been the late Hudson Soft's IP until March 2012). Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is a property of Renegade Animation. Final Fantasy belongs to Square-Enix. My longtime friend LovelyTekki owns Tekki and Cherry, whereas Keyla, Patricia, Maya, Daniel, Steven/Paimon and Valerie are owned by my other friend, JapanAnimeGirl. The only characters I own are Phoebe, Blaze Bomber and Arctic Bomber.**

* * *

-Christmas storytime!-

Once upon a cold yet clear evening of December 23, lies a house next door to WarioWare Inc. in none other than Diamond City. The home of the heroic Contra Force no doubt, 'tis a blessing to their friends who come about. With Christmas drawing near and a party to attend, they huddle up for a story as Ami recommends.

Having made a list and checked it twice, she thought why not go through it once more to make sure everyone was present and accounted for.

_9-Volt_  
_Phoebe_  
_Shirobon (aka. Cheerful White)_  
_Pretty Bomber (aka. Cute Pink)_  
_5-Volt_  
_Kat_  
_Ana_  
_Yuffie Kisaragi_  
_18-Volt_  
_Wario_  
_Mona_  
_Pit_  
_Phosphora_  
_Tekki_  
_Dark Pit_  
_Cherry_  
_Blaze Bomber_  
_Arctic Bomber_  
_Keyla_  
_Patricia_  
_Maya_  
_Daniel_  
_Steven/Paimo_n  
_Valerie_

"...And that's about all the guests we invited!" beamed Ami.

"The story you're about to hear may seem familiar," announced Aaron, "but if not, that's okay. There's always a first time."

"Bill and Lance had to work late, so they probably won't be joining us for the story," said Yumi.

"I thought you guys said they'd be here for story time," 5-Volt told the purple half of Puffy AmiYumi, "and it's already after 7:00."

"Last I heard, they're about to get something to eat with Dribble and Spitz before they head back," elaborated Aaron. "Anyway, gaze your eyes upon a fantasy story about the Christmas that almost wasn't..."

"Here we go again," muttered the half-demon boy to Valerie with a hint of sarcasm. "I'll bet it's gonna involve magical fairies."

"Does it matter, Steven? As long as stories like these make Maya happy, I don't suppose why not."

* * *

-A MANA CHRISTMAS-

[Told from a narrative]

Hi, boys and girls! You will not believe what a time it was, for I alone bore witness to the Christmas the almost wasn't. You see, it all began when my master was kidnapped by a horrible monster, and taken to a nearby ice palace for its own selfish deeds! At first I tried to defend myself, but I was no match for the creature's ice magic. I desperately needed help fast, lest the spirit of Christmas be lost in the hearts of children forevermore...

Then they came: the Boy, the Girl, and the Sprite. They had arrived here from Todo Village, yet they seemed as surprised as I was from our first meeting.

I knew not of who those strangers were, but with my master gone and the Holiday spirit in grave danger, I begged them to help me undo the damage wrought upon the land. As they departed, I overheard their saying something about there being a seed to find and the land feeling unseasonably warm. Could it be the work of the foul giant that stole away my master? None knew for sure until they would see it for themselves.

The Boy, the Girl and the Sprite went forth to do battle with various monsters along the way, including a huge plant-like creature capable of putting its enemies to sleep and then attacking with exploding pumpkins! How did I know of all of this despite my sticking around my master's house until his safe return, you ask? You might say the kids spent the night after rescuing him and talking about the adventure they had just gone through...But I am getting ahead of myself.

Sooner or later the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite happened upon an unusually warm village run by a weird group of thieves, intent on making a resort out of it. Let's just say they weren't good at recognizing the kids who had apparently fought them at an earlier point in their quest, but they did think at first the thieves were the "monsters" responsible for the capture of my master and the stolen seed. The leader, however, admitted to have no such seed, yet an "odd-looking old man" was seen with it. Could that be...no, it could not have been...yet this happened!

So with the thieves gone and winter restored to the village, the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite left for the Ice Palace. I followed behind in secrecy as they took out the monsters infesting the castle, concerned about my master's well-being.

What led him to carrying the seed, and why? I couldn't stop thinking of the questions that I asked myself, but I needed to find out - and fast, if Christmas is to be saved from certain doom! Since I had no means to defend myself, I could only count on the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite to save my master from the awful giant!

No sooner than they reached the throne room did a deep voice ring out, booming like thunder: "Those who dare step into my domain are doomed! Now, begone with you!" I quickly hid myself, fearing the monster might do away with me for trying to save my master. But the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite told the giant no, much to its disappointment.

"Quite conceited for a child! Time for your punishment! COME!"

The ice giant came out of hiding and attacked with such ferocity! The Boy, the Girl and the Sprite were well-equipped for the fight, but to their surprise the giant could also enchant their weapons with its Ice Saber magic, rendering them almost useless until it wore off. The monster blew a frigid wind in an effort to freeze the kids to death, and would have succeeded had it not been for the fire magic at their disposal. Together they bested the beast, and as I came up to the throne, my master was perfectly fine!

"Master!" I called. "Master Claus, are you all right?"

[INTERRUPT STORY]

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Keyla. "So what the story's trying to say, is that the ice giant was actually Santa Claus this whole time?"

"As a matter of fact, 'tis so," answered Ami.

"D-does that mean..." Maya became concerned.

"Let them finish the story, Maya," Patricia told her.

"Yeah, I'm sure Santa had a good explanation for the whole ice monster thing," assured Daniel.

Maya turned over to her other friends. "9-Volt, you once told me you went through that kind of story in a video game with both your mom and your big sister."

"We did, but I didn't wanna spoil the whole thing for you guys."

5-Volt garnered the kids' attention by clapping her hands twice. "Alright everyone, let's get back to our Christmas story."

* * *

[RESUME STORY]

"Oh!...Rudolph," answered my master. "Sorry to have worried you. I'm fine, now!"

'Twas then and there that he explained the whole scenario to the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite. "You see, it was me. I turned into a Frost Gigas because kids just no longer believed in me. It's the fading Mana; without it, children will continue to lose their fanciful hopes. I wanted so badly to bring back all of their innocent dreams, no matter what the cost. Then I heard that Mana Trees grow at an alarmingly fast rate! I set off to find a Mana Seed, thinking I could grow a huge Mana Christmas tree in no time! But the Mana power in the seed was too much for my body to handle. It turned me into that monster!"

The Boy, the Girl and the Sprite were as shocked as I was to have heard the news from my master. He wasn't kidnapped by the Frost Gigas, he WAS the Frost Gigas. All they could say was, "Really?!"

"Yes. One must take care never to abuse Mana, or else they'll face the consequences. I apologize for all the fuss. Here, you need this Fire Seed, correct?"

"Thank you for rescuing Master Claus," I told the kids as they left the palace to return the Mana Seed.

"Do your best to restore the dreams and futures of children!"

Only by completing their quest to save the world of Mana, can even the youngest children live happily ever after...

-THE END-

* * *

"Wow...I mean, WOW," said Wario, picking his nose as he usually did at every story he'd listened to. "Let me guess, the moral of the story is that us grownups oughta be careful what we tell the kids about Santa, or else he'll turn into a Frost Gigas and destroy us all."

"Yeah, I have to agree," concurred Steven. "I swear, the old man should practice what he preaches if he'd pilfered one of the Mana Seeds."

"But I'm sure Santa didn't mean to steal it," professed Maya. "9-Volt knows, because he and Mona and his mommy played the game. Santa said the world was going down and he wanted to win back the kids' belief in him, didn't he?"

"Bill, Lance, Ami and I went through that segment too," said Aaron, "hence our reason for wanting to tell you this story in the first place."

Suddenly, the front door to the house opened with Bill, Lance, Dribble and Spitz stepping inside. "Sorry we're late," apologized Bill.

"Traffic was hell," elaborated Lance, "but when it comes to Holiday season, what else is new?"

"I concur," said Arctic Bomber. "So, if it's not the fact that we should watch what we say to children, lest Santa go Gigas on us, then what exactly IS the moral here?"

"I believe the moral," summarized Blaze Bomber, "is that no matter what day it is, no matter what world we're in, like Santa told the Boy, the Girl and the Sprite after they lifted the curse, one must take care never to abuse power, for it can be downright dangerous - no alliteration intended. Besides, he learned that lesson himself, not just them."

"Heh. If only Wario even bothered to comprehend with that factoid too..."

Arctic's words flustered Wario in embarrassment. "What?! No, I don't abuse power! Okay, so there was this one time with my balloon trick, big deal! At least nobody was hurt, RIGHT?"

"Learn to keep your head straight on things, Mister Balloons-Aren't-Cheap," scolded Cherry. "9-Volt and his mom were both disappointed in you."

"I said I was sorry! Jeez, can't we just let it go, as Elsa would say?!" At that moment, Tekki playfully held a mistletoe above Wario, motioning for Mona to kiss him. "Oh...alright, but only because Mona did just that!"

Having bore witness, Maya got an idea to cheer herself up. Fluttering about the ceiling (courtesy of her wind powers), she held a mistletoe above 9-Volt's head, prompting Kat and Ana to kiss both his cheeks, followed by Phoebe and Cherry giving him a group hug. Then she came over to Pit and Phosphora, with the latter bearing a playful grin on her face.

"Lance, look!" called Bill, stifling a giggle. "I think I know what Phosphy's gonna do!"

"Pit, you lucky dawg."

With a huge, pearly white smile, Phosphora threw her arms around Pit, bellowing happily "Marshmallow Heaven!" and playfully stuffing his face on her chest.

"Phosphora!" Pit laughed with her.

"Pit, you silly little you." She lifted his face in order to kiss both his cheeks, and hugged him closer to herself.

"Cuddle buddies!" They blurted in unison, and kissed each other under the mistletoe.

"There they go again," giggled Phoebe. "I'd say it's their love for each other that keeps our enchanted Skyworld weapons strong: my Ball Cannon, your Phosphora Bow and Twinbellows Cannon, White's Wolf Claws, and Pink's Aquarius Blade."

"You really think so, Pheebs?" wondered 9-Volt.

"Of course, silly! Christmas has always been about the love of family and friends, not just gifts and fancy lights. Especially families like yours and mine. I know it in my heart that my king dad continues to watch over us in spirit."

"I know. My mom and I watched the 2000 version of _How the Grinch Stole Christmas!_ yesterday with Mona."

THE END

* * *

Happy Holidays, everyone! My apologies if this felt a bit rushed, though at least I was able to get it done in time for Christmas.


End file.
